Endovascular access using arteries close to the surface of the skin of a patient has been well practised in recent years. The Seldinger method of access to the aorta through a femoral and iliac artery has been well practised but there are problems when the femoral and iliac arteries are convoluted, too small for access or occluded and in such situations a physician must resort to open surgery.
Endoscopic techniques to provide access into the various body cavities are also well known. It is an object of this invention to provide a system and equipment for endoscopic controlled and guided vascular access and in particular laparoscopic controlled and guided vascular access into the abdominal cavity. Alternatively, thoracoscopic controlled and guided access may be used into the thoracic cavity of a patient for heart vessel surgery.
Throughout this specification the term distal with respect to a portion of the aorta, a deployment device or a prosthesis is the end of the aorta, deployment device or prosthesis further away in the direction of blood flow away from the heart and the term proximal means the portion of the aorta, deployment device or end of the prosthesis nearer to the heart. When applied to other vessels similar terms such as caudal and cranial should be understood.